NEGOTIATION

NEGOTIATION PREPARING FOR NEGOTIATION 1.

Goals: what do you want to get out of the negotiation? What do you think the other person wants?

2.

Trades: What do you and the other person have that you can trade? What do you each have that the other wants? What are you each comfortable giving away?

3.

Alternatives: if you don't reach agreement with the other person, what alternatives do you have? Are these good or bad? How much does it matter if you do not reach agreement? Does failure to reach an agreement cut you out of future opportunities? And what alternatives might the other person have?

4.

Relationships: what is the history of the relationship? Could or should this history impact the negotiation? Will there be any hidden issues that may influence the negotiation? How will you handle these?

5.

Expected outcomes: what outcome will people be expecting from this negotiation? What has the outcome been in the past, and what precedents have been set?

6.

The consequences: what are the consequences for you of winning or losing this negotiation? What are the consequences for the other person?

7.

Power: who has what power in the relationship? Who controls resources? Who stands to lose the most if agreement isn't reached? What power does the other person have to deliver what you hope for?

8.

Possible solutions: based on all of the considerations, what possible compromises might there be?

http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/NegotiationSkills.htm

Phrases to be used in negotiations

TYPE OF PHRASE - Classified according to speech acts

EXAMPLES OF PHRASES FOR EACH TYPE - You may look out for and more

USING THE PHRASES IN THE VARIOUS STAGES OF GRAHAM'S MODEL

ADDING A POINT OR TWO (Use these phrases when you wish to drive your arguments through.)

* Right. And I'd like to add that I haven't seen any such cases lately. * There are other things/issues/considerations; for example the price... * If we look at this from another angle (another perspective)... * There are other points to bear in mind. Firstly, we have...

* Persuasion * Concessions and Agreement

* Let me elaborate this further... (More formal) ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION OR FURTHER INFORMATION (Useful phrase for all, but very valuable for the chairperson.)

* Sorry I don't follow you completely; would you mind explaining this... * Could you be (a bit) more precise? * Could you expand on that? * Sounds quite interesting to me - could you clarify this? * Okay, so what did you mean exactly? * Could you clarify the first point please? I don't understand it completely.

(All stages)

ASKING FOR CONFIRMATION

* Basically, what you are saying is that...., right? * Could you please check this: you want to spend half the amount on... * Am I correct in assuming that the terms of delivery are... (Formal) * Could you send us confirmation by email, by Wednesday?

* Concessions and Agreement * Persuasion

AVOIDING ANSWERING

* I'm afraid I don't have the exact numbers here. * Sorry I can't discuss that at the moment. * In our case, that's confidential information. I'm sorry

* Persuasion

* I'm not quite sure. I'll see if I can get the data for you next week * Come on, Mary. You should know we can't give you that information ASKING FOR REPETITION

* I didn't quite catch that. What did you say? * Could you repeat that last point, please? Sorry, what was the figure? * Could you go over that again, please? Sorry, could you repeat that?

(All stages)

CORRECTING MISUNDERSTANDI NG

* Sorry, you got me wrong. It's the third door on the left * That isn't quite what I said; you see all the items we sent are... * I'm afraid there seems to be a slight misunderstanding... * We seem to be talking at cross purposes * With all due respect (name), the information is wrong (Formal)

(All stages)

EXPRESSING NEUTRAL DISAGREEMENT

* Do you really think so? * I can't say I share your view on this... * I feel I must disagree... * Well, take you point, yet I can't help feeling that... * I wouldn't say that, really. * I respect your opinion, of course, but on the other hand.. (More formal) * I wouldn't say that.

* Persuasion * Concessions and Agreement

EXPRESSING PARTIAL AGREEMENT

* * * * * *

Well, I agree with you on the whole, but then again it... I agree in principle that all of us .... ; however, ... I find it difficult to agree with you... Well, to a certain extent I agree with you, but... You definitely have a point there, but.. I take you point. However, it looks to me that..

* Persuasion * Concessions and Agreement

MAKING PROPOSALS

* * * * * *

I propose that... (Used in more formal situations.) I'd like to propose that... I hope you all agree that... Well, don't you think we should...? How about if we do this by changing...? I strongly recommend that...

* Persuasion * Concessions and Agreement

Use these phrases in FORMAL negotiations only. Avoid 'suggestion'

in that case.

PLAYING DOWN A POINT

* Yes, I take your point, but let's think of this... * OK, but that's a just minor issue. * Perhaps, but this is, after all, not a disadvantage if you..

* Persuasion * Concessions and Agreement

PLAYING FOR TIME

* That's a very interesting question, I must say... * I'm glad you asked that question, too * I'm afraid I'm in no position to comment on that... (Formal) * You have certainly raised an important point there... (More formal)

* Persuasion * Concessions and Agreement

REPHRASING A POINT

* * * * *

(All stages)

REASSURING THE COMMUNICATION PARTNER

* You needn't worry about his, really. We are going to fix all the details later * Please rest assured there's no danger at all... (Formal) * You will certainly find this perspective more rewarding * We do understand your concern, it's not always easy to....

* Persuasion * Concessions and Agreement

SUGGESTING Please compare 'PROPOSALS' above!'

* So why don't we look at ways of increasing your net sales? * How about cutting the volume? * Your could always sell the the software licenses, couldn't you? * What about if we re-design the project? * Here's another way to go: Perhaps we could look at other suppliers? * What if we changed on to the payment terms? Are you willing to consider....?

* Persuasion * Concessions and Agreement

Esko Johnson 22 September 2005

Perhaps I haven't made myself clear Seems I need to recap this for you (name)... Let me just put it in another way... To be more specific, I think the data... (More formal) Allow me to rephrase that....(Formal)

http://robo.cop.fi/ejohnson/neg-phr.htm

A Negotiation Phrasebook- 14 Phrases That Let You Be Hard on the Problem, Soft on the Person Imagine you are about to try to negotiate with your supervisor for a budget increase. Or that you are about to confront a car dealer about a noisy transmission, or that you need to convince your companion to postpone your vacation together. What should you say? You are worried: what if the words you use sound too demanding, or too weak? You can strike the right balance by using one or more of these fourteen phrases that let you signal you want to be “hard on the problem, soft on the person”... Here are 14 useful phrases. Once you memorize and use one successfully, try saying it in your own words in later negotiations so it's more your own.Generally 1. “I’m sure we’ll find a solution we’re both happy with.” 2. “I want to be fair, and I know you do too.” 3. “I have some ideas that may help us both, and I want to hear yours.” When Things Are Going Badly 1. “I know we’re having a rough time of it right now, but I’m still confident we can find a good agreement…” 2. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we could solve this together.” 3. “We’re on the same side here. If we work together, we can…[beat the competition/make this report look great/win the contract/etc.]” 4. “Why don’t we each take some time and think about what we’ve discussed and resume

next week….” Showing Strength and Saying No 1. “I’m happy to talk about creative ways to handle this as long as we address my concern that…” 2. “While I [do have another offer/will reluctantly report this matter to the government if I must], I’d love to work things out with you if we can…” 3. "While I can’t [tell you that/give you that/agree to that], I can [tell you/give you something] that may help address you concern…” 4. “I generally make it a rule not to discuss [my current salary], but I’m sure we’ll find a fair one for this [new job] when the time comes.” (Note: If pressed, you may need to give your salary data.) Responding to Objections 1. “I thought you might raise that concern- understandably- so I did some research. I found that…” 2. “Help me understand your concerns….” 3. "You’re right, that could be a problem. Let’s see what creative ideas might help us solve it." http://www.professorfreeman.com/school/articles_detail.php?a=44

esl resource center :: www.eslsite.com

Negotiation language Teacher's notes: 1. Put the students into pairs to decide when these phrases would be used in a negotiation, e.g. the beginning, the middle, the end, during a stalemate situation, etc. 2. Once the students have discussed the sequence, clarify. 3. Please note that the expressions may be used in several parts of the negotiation. 4. At the end, ask the students to repeat the structures after you in order to ensure that the students have the correct pronunciation of the phrases.

Which part of the negotiation are these statements said? 1. I'm sure that we will have a useful and productive meeting... . 2. I'd like to begin... .

3. May I outline our principle aims and objectives today... . 4. There are three specific areas that we would like to discuss. 5. Together we want to develop a good relationship... 6. I'd like to finish there and give you the opportunity to reply to this... 7. We want to clarify our position. 8. We agree... 9. Can we run through what we've agreed? 10. So, the next step is... . 11. We need to draw up a formal contract. 12. Let's think about the last issue. 13. As long as you... we agree to... 14. Could we tie this agreement..? 15. That's not acceptable unless... 16. I think we should look at the points that we agree on... 17. We hope that you can see our point. 18. I think that you should look at the whole package not so much at individual areas of difficulty. 19. It's been a very useful and productive meeting. 20. It would be better if we looked for an individual arbitrator.

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Lesson: B105 Starting a negotiation in English Aim: to negotiate successfully in English

This worksheet is part of a series which is designed to work over 2/3 lessons. In Lesson 1 you will cover B105, learning useful language to assist you in getting started in negotiations. In Lesson 2, you will extend this with B106 to talk about a specific negotiation situation. There is also an option to extend this into a 3rd lesson to develop a full negotiation with your teacher if you wish. A.

Talk with your teacher

•

Who do you negotiate with?

•

What do you discuss in your negotiations in English typically? Is it price, delivery times, or service levels?

•

Is it always best to aim for a win-win result or do you need to be more aggressive to get what you want?

B. Read the dialogue below with your teacher

and listen by clicking on the link right >>> (Tip - move your mouse over the image of the headphones, then click). Karina: Hello, I’m Karina White, Sales Manager. Robert: Pleased to meet you. I'm Robert Wood, Head Buyer for Sutton Communications Karina: I hope you had a good flight. Robert: Yes, it was O.K. Thank you. Karina: Will you be here for the weekend? Robert: I’d love to stay longer but we have to return late on Friday. Karina: Well, shall we get down to business? To start with, I hope you’ll be impressed by what our business can offer you and that we will be able to build a good working relationship. Robert: Our first priority is to find out more about your company and what you can offer. As far as we are concerned it is important to ask for quotes from a range of suppliers before making any decision. Karina: I appreciate that – and I think that you’ll find our terms are very competitive. Robert: Good. What's your proposal, Karina?

C. Language Review 1 - Small talk What does Karina say to put Robert at ease? •

Is making small talk important or do you prefer to get down to business straight away?

Here are some more suggested ‘small talk’ phrases. Can you add any to the box on the right?

Useful Small Talk Phrases Have you been to English before? How is your hotel room? It is good to have you with us.

D. Language Review 2 - Sarting to talk business •

What does Karina say to signal that it’s time to start talking business?

Practice these phrases:

Useful Phrases for beginning to talk business Let’s get down to business Shall we get down to business? How about getting down to business?

E. Language review 3 – Stating your position Now they are ready to start business, it’s important that both sides state their positions. Karina starts by making an opening statement. Robert responds with his position: Karina: Well, shall we get down to business? To start with, I hope you’ll be impressed by what our business can offer you and that we will be able to build a good working relationship. Robert:

•

Our first priority is to find out more about your company and what you can offer. As far as we are concerned it is important to ask for quotes from a range of suppliers before making any decision.

Your turn. Practice making an opening statement and responding stating your position with your teacher:

Useful Phrases for making an opening statement

Useful Phrases for stating your position

Let me start off by saying ...

Our priority is to ... Our position is ...

I'd like to begin by saying ...

As far as we're concerned ... From our perspective we ...

F. Role-play the start of a negotiation with your teacher. You take the lead. Include: • •

Small talk Signalling that it’s time to talk business

•

Your opening statement (Your teacher states their position)

Now reverse roles. Let your teacher take the lead. G. Homework

Review the language. Your teacher will question you about this next time.